December 17, 2009, 11:06AM

No one can say the technology in “Avatar” isn’t up-to-the-minute. Writer-director James Cameron has taken the motion capture technique to an astonishing new level, and the digitally created otherworldly landscapes in which most of the story unfolds are often awe-inspiring. Full story »

May 29, 2009, 10:35AM

Director Sam Raimi launched his career with "The Evil Dead" and "The Evil Dead 2," a pair of distinctly demented low-budget chillers that emphasized bizarre, gross-out gags instead of splashy special effects. In the 30 years since, Raimi has moved on to more "respectable," mainstream films, such as the "Spider-Man" series and "A Simple Plan." Yet his heart apparently... Full story »

May 29, 2009, 10:29AM

In the 14 years since Pixar Animation Studios released "Toy Story," the first full-length computer-animated film, many other players have gotten into the game. Yet, as Carly Simon once sang of James Bond, nobody does it better, and the exhilarating "Up" is a perfect example of Pixar at its peak. Full story »

May 21, 2009, 11:59PM

"Sometimes the greatest change brings about even greater opportunity," notes Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) when he learns most of his fellow exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History are being shipped to Washington, D.C. The prospect of being placed in "deep storage" far beneath the Smithsonian doesn't sound particularly promising, but the big move results in a most... Full story »

May 21, 2009, 11:30AM

OK, maybe there are better reasons to relocate to Paris. But it is interesting that Fox opened such a very American film yesterday in Europe -- and those of us in the Colonies have to wait until tomorrow to see it. (Maybe it was the presence of Napoleon as one of the villains?) The ad copy roughly translates as... Full story »

May 19, 2009, 3:45PM

Monday night, director and Kalamazoo native McG gave an audience in Novi a first-look at "Terminator Salvation," his addition to the long-running science-fiction franchise. Prior to the screening, McG conferred with several representatives from the Michigan Film Office about possible projects. "I feel a real kinship to the people of the state," McG said, "and I thought it would... Full story »

May 14, 2009, 11:59PM

Technically, "Angels and Demons" is the predecessor to "The Da Vinci Code" -- at least that's the way author Dan Brown intended it to be. But Hollywood has a long track record of rewriting history and now it has rewritten the past of Brown's well-known hero, religious symbology professor Robert Langdon. Since "Da Vinci" was put in front of... Full story »

May 14, 2009, 11:59PM

The title of "Is Anybody There?" refers to the key question in any seance, the beginning of an attempt to converse with spirits that might be willing to share their secrets. "Is anybody there?" is also what aging magician Clarence (Michael Caine) might be afraid to ask himself as he faces the onset of senility. The performer who once... Full story »

May 14, 2009, 10:45AM

It's not the Grizzly Adams you knew and loved as a child: In "Friends for Life," Grizzly is catching the new wave of technology and going 3D. "Friends," which stars Michael Flynn, Jimmy Chunga and Tayva Patch, was originally filmed in traditional 2D, but will be converted in the fall for a theatrical release. It's not a traditional Grizzly... Full story »

May 14, 2009, 8:00AM

The original French title of "The Class" (which won the Palme D'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival and was Oscar-nominated as best foreign-language film) is "Entre les Murs," or "Between the Walls," and that's an accurate description of director Laurent Cantet's study of one year in the life of a teacher in Paris. Aside from a brief moment... Full story »

May 13, 2009, 3:40PM

A funny little who-knows-how-much-of-it-is-true? story from E! Online: "When a St. Louis woman found a copy of the script for 'New Moon' in the trash, she must have asked herself, 'WWECD?'" Full story »

May 08, 2009, 11:25AM

Yeah, I've already heard the jokes about the "Transformator" and "The Matrix: Part Four." And the complaints about the PG-13 rating. But I'm still intrigued by "Terminator: Salvation," which stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington and Helena Bonham Carter and is directed by former Kalamazooan McG. Now, Apple offers four minutes of "Terminator: Salvation"; take a look. Here's the official... Full story »

May 07, 2009, 12:00AM

This "Trek" takes James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Uhura, etc., back to their beginnings and gives each of them qualities and quirks that make them both familiar and yet slightly unpredictable. It helps that the young actors Abrams has cast in these roles resist the temptation of imitating William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the rest of the original team. Full story »

May 05, 2009, 10:40AM

I only got to see two shows during my last visit to New York, but I apparently struck it rich, at least as far as the Tony nominations are concerned. I saw "God of Carnage" and "33 Variations," both of which are nominated for best play. In addition, Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden --... Full story »

May 02, 2009, 9:40PM

I read Julie Powell's book "Julie & Julia" last year, and it almost (almost) made me want to try my hand at French cooking, even though deboning a duck and bisecting a live lobster sound like feats I'd be well-advised never to attempt. Powell's chronicle of her attempt to change her life through the recipes of Julia Child comes... Full story »

May 01, 2009, 7:08AM

KALAMAZOO -- Slick animation and noble intentions are swamped by sanctimony in "Battle for Terra," an ecological science-fiction parable that tackles some of the same themes Pixar addressed in "WALL•E." But even with 3D effects, "Terra" can't hold a light saber to last year's hit. Full story »

May 01, 2009, 7:08AM

KALAMAZOO -- Slick animation and noble intentions are swamped by sanctimony in "Battle for Terra," an ecological science-fiction parable that tackles some of the same themes Pixar addressed in "WALL•E." But even with 3D effects, "Terra" can't hold a light saber to last year's hit. Full story »

May 01, 2009, 7:08AM

KALAMAZOO -- Slick animation and noble intentions are swamped by sanctimony in "Battle for Terra," an ecological science-fiction parable that tackles some of the same themes Pixar addressed in "WALL*E." But even with 3D effects, "Terra" can't hold a light saber to last year's hit. Full story »

May 01, 2009, 7:05AM

If this is all sounding hauntingly familiar, perhaps you saw Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan play out the same scenario in last year's "Made of Honor." Because of the punchy playfulness between McConaughey and Garner (and a droll turn by Michael Douglas as a playboy from the "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" era), "Ghosts" is much easier to stomach than "Made." Full story »